Your Identity Is Real
by starcrossedannabeth
Summary: Mitchell, a son of Aphrodite, comes to terms with who he is and begins her new life as Michelle, a fine, fierce and foxy female who knows that her identity is real, normal and perfectly okay. Tw - slight suicidal thoughts. Now a series soon to feature other cabins!
1. Chapter 1

Mitchell loved his cabin.

Cabin 10 was various soft shades of pink, decorated with lavish florals and lace. It was the epitome of pastel aesthetic, and sometimes he would spend his free time just looking at it, taking in the beauty. He was mesmerized by it.

It was full of enchantments too.

The moment you walked in, a rush of happiness would wash over you. Several faint perfume scents lingered in the air. The ornate mirrors showed who you really were, who you wanted to be, not who was looking into them.

Mitchell loved the mirrors.

When he gazed into the mirror, he was entranced by his reflection. Because he was no longer Mitchell, no longer a _he_. He became Michelle, a _she_.

She was beautiful, Michelle was. Her hair was shoulder length, a light brown colour. Her eyes were deep green, lined with khol. She wore scarlet lipstick and sundresses. She was classy and gorgeous and most of all, she was a girl.

That was what Mitchell wanted. That was who Mitchell was.

Before, he'd questioned himself. He felt feminine. He liked boys. Was he gay? Another thing to add to his burdened mind.

The water was cruel and unforgiving. The water displayed the world's mistake, a boy. Mitchell would look into the water to see short, cropped hair, a masculine jaw, a flat chest and muscled arms. The water showed a girl who was trapped behind her own body, a girl who was waiting to resurface. The water hid Michelle from sight, showing only Mitchell in it's ripples. It showed a biological boy who was close to taking his own life, because a boy could never truly be a girl, and a girl could never truly be a boy.

One summer, Mitchell confessed to his siblings.

"I don't see a boy when I look in the mirror. I see a girl."

Mitchell loved his cabin even more after that.

Smiles and hugs of reassurance pushed the dark thoughts out of his head. Transitioning began with injections and needles and terror, but it was worth it in the end.

Once upon a time, Mitchell had gazed into an ordinary mirror and cried, his reflection betraying him. He'd pushed down the feminine instincts and played sports, built muscles, trying to be masculine. His passions faded, and his will to live faded along with it.

But nowadays she looked into ordinary mirrors and smiled, red lipstick on her lips, her eyes lined with brown pencil, in sundresses and earrings and high heels. Her body curved in at the waist and out at the hips. Her hair was styled differently every day - maybe a braid, maybe curled, maybe just plain.

Her passions returned. She went shopping with her sisters, talked about boys (her sexuality crisis disappearing after her transition), wore makeup for fun and flirted freely. She was stereotypically feminine, but that was what she wanted, and Michelle had never been happier.

That year, the bead for the camp necklace featured a little man outlined in blue, with the shape of a female in pink on the inside, dedicated to one of the hardest battles that anyone could ever fight.

A battle with their own identity.

Michelle, **_daughter_ ** of Aphrodite, had won her battle at last.

* * *

 **In case any of you were wondering, I've seen a lot of trans posts on tumblr where people are finally starting to realise that trans is a thing and it's perfectly normal, so I feel like we need to start introducing transgender characters to our literature.**

 **Last thing, if anybody is looking for a diverse, feminist book with trans inclusive characters, lgtbq+ characters and poc characters, I would recommend Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. Okay, Kacie out!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yo, I'm back!**

* * *

Alex was never a normal kid.

That much was obvious from the day she was delivered to her father in a golden cradle with a note from an Ancient Greek goddess saying that she needed to be taken care of. Not a normal kid, by a long shot.

She lived a relatively normal (yet not normal) life as a child. She grew up amongst science – her father worked in a laboratory and her stepmother taught chemistry at the local highschool – and the knowledge she'd picked up as a child sparked her interest. She filled her head with symbols and equations and compounds, sometimes even using her scientific knowledge to deter the strange beasts that sometimes followed her.

Then she reached the end of her teen years. Camp Half Blood was her home, science was her passion and everything seemed great.

Until that weird night in his cabin, number six (Athena).

Her younger sister, Annabeth, was fifteen years old, and had an _incredibly_ obvious (and infuriating) crush on a son of Poseidon. Really? Poseidon?

"Annabeth, focus! Come on, we're counting on you for a strategy in tonight's game!" She urged her blonde sister, poking her shoulder.

She snapped her head upright. "I'm focusing!"

"No, you're thinking about Percy. Stop."

She rolled her grey eyes back far enough to see inside her own brain. "Oh come on, Alex. Haven't you ever had a crush?"

Her mind raced. Camp Half Blood was full of hot guys – really, really hot guys. When a god or goddess (who is naturally attractive) has children with mortals who are very attractive, it means that there is going to be an abundance of hot guys to crush on. Yet –

"No?" She questioned. "I...I don't think I have."

Annabeth turned, frowning. "You've never had a crush? You're like, 19. How?"

She chewed her lip, suddenly feeling insecure about it. "I don't know. Anyway, strategy."

She started rambling, and Alex began to think. Now that she mulled it over, she realised how strange it was. She'd just assumed at some point in her life he'd find a guy she liked at that'd be it. She'd never noticed that she hadn't crushed on anyone. It was weird.

Demigod guys were cool! They were fun, and hot, and caring, and a hell of a lot better looking than regular dudes, so why had she never liked one? Why had she never laid awake thinking of a guy and stammering to talk to him? Was she broken?

* * *

"Silena, what does a crush feel like?" She asked.

"It feels like a physical ache in your heart when all you want to do is be with someone."

"Percy, what does a crush feel like?"

"It feels like...someone you can see a future in. Someone you can't stop thinking about."

"Clarisse...uh, never mind. Nyssa, what does a crush feel like?"

"It feels like they're on your mind all day, every day."

Alex had never been so confused in all her life, which was frustrating. She was a daughter of Athena! She didn't _get_ confused!

 _I've never felt that way about anyone_ , she thought.

Making a bold decision, she asked Chiron if she could use the demigod internet usage room and started a few searches. Words popped up, definitions flew across the screen, and the answer finally became clear.

Alex wanted to cry.

"I'm not broken."

"I'm not. I'm not a robot, I'm not a zombie, I'm not an emotionless freak."

She almost felt stupid. All of that worrying, for nothing.

It took her a moment to say it, but as soon as the word left her lips, it didn't feel right – but it fit perfectly.

"I'm aromantic, and that's okay."

* * *

 **This hits home with me, I had to write it. Imma share my story below, so feel free to skip it if you dont give a shit**

 **Basically, this is my story told through someone else. When my friend confessed to her having crushes i felt alienated but curious, and later decided i identify as aromantic. for those who don't know, aromantic = does not experience romantic attraction.**

 **this does not mean we can't have meaningful relationships, or date, it just means we don't experience romantic feelings.**

 **So anyway yeah, that was it.**

 **HAPPY HALLOWEEN!**

 **What are you guys going as? Review and let me know (and share your lgbtqa+ story if u wanna, i might put you in the story!)**

 **I'm going as a zombie (originial, i know) and my costume is DIY, eyyy**

 **Final note - follow my tumblr, galaxieshowell, to see pics of my costume later and also learn more about me and my passions (im phan trash)**

 **Okay, have a good halloween!**


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